Oliseh, who managed the Nigerian national team between 2015 and 2016, had a contentious relationship with several senior players, including Mikel.
In a recent episode of his ObiOne podcast, Mikel criticized Oliseh’s managerial skills, stating, “He (Oliseh) had absolutely no clue of how a manager is. He was a fantastic guy in his playing days, but he was a terrible coach. He absolutely had no clue of what he was doing. The players never understood anything he was doing, and he did not know what he was doing. He was just confused because he just came in and destroyed the team’s togetherness. He was easily the worst manager I played under.”
In response, Oliseh, during an interview on ELEGBETE TV, dismissed Mikel’s comments and questioned his mental state. “To be honest with you, I think the kid needs some help,” Oliseh said. “Because I’m not going to go and chastise now, but I think the boy needs some help.”
Oliseh defended his coaching credentials by showcasing an award he received during his tenure at Fortuna Sittard in the Jupiler Pro League, where he was named the best coach for the first period of the season. He emphasized that his accomplishments as a coach speak for themselves and stated, “I would like to help the boy. You cannot become a legend with your mouth. You cannot achieve what you were unable to achieve on the pitch of play as a footballer; you cannot achieve it outside the pitch with talking and with a podcast.”
Oliseh also criticized Mikel for publicly sharing personal stories about his struggles with familial pressure and financial support on a global platform. “Never in the history of Nigeria has one player ever gone on a foreign podcast and totally humiliated his family by calling them beggars, problems, and everything,” Oliseh remarked. “When I saw it, I was shocked, and that is why I am saying this disrespect for family and people that are older than you has to stop.”
Further defending his coaching decisions, Oliseh recounted an incident during a World Cup qualifier against Swaziland where he chose to bench Mikel due to his poor performance in the first leg. Instead, Oliseh played Paul Onobi, a home-based player, who performed exceptionally well and was voted the best player on the pitch by the opposing coach.
“The problem I had with Mikel was simply this: I did not find him at the time I coached him as a player; I didn’t find him good enough to play that position,” Oliseh explained. “The point is, I hold no grudge against Obi Mikel; in fact, I am the one telling you he needs help. Because when you are starting out like him, I get it. When people stop football, some players are lost; they don’t know what to do next.”
Oliseh advised Mikel to focus on educating himself and avoid chasing controversies and insulting people on his podcast. He suggested that Mikel should work on building relationships and filling his brain with knowledge to succeed in his post-football endeavors.
